On a picture of the collapsed building, her caption reads, "A hole where my NYC home of the last 22 years once stood... RIP 123 2nd Avenue," along with emojis of an apple, a broken heart, and praying hands. On another, of the building still engulfed in flames, De Matteo wrote, "NYC's finest trying to put out the flames to mine n many others apartments Speechless... [praying hands emoji] for those that are hurt." After living in the apartment for 22 years, this must be quite the blow, and it's likely many others have similar stories.

According to Con Edison, a New York electric and gas company, 121 2nd Avenue, the address next door to De Matteo's, failed an inspection an hour before the explosion. According to the Observer, "Con Edison, the gas and electric utility, was at 121 Second Avenue around 2 p.m., approximately an hour before the 3:15 p.m. explosion, to inspect plumbing or gas work done by contractors within the building."

Of the 25 people injured, four are said to be in critical condition, while two are said to be missing.